


Another Sunny Day in California

by wontonto



Series: KuroBas March Madness [6]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Gen, also kagami's dad is the best, an exploration of what they might've done as kids in california, i've been to LA like maybe twice in my life, inaccurate depictions of LA, inaccurate depictions of the ocean, listen i live in a landlocked state i've been to the ocean maybe like 10 times
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 01:41:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29877189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wontonto/pseuds/wontonto
Summary: Taiga and Tatsuya spend a day at the beach with Taiga's dad.
Relationships: Kagami Taiga & Himuro Tatsuya
Series: KuroBas March Madness [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2188413
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Another Sunny Day in California

Taiga didn’t really consider himself a very social person, but having Tatsuya to hold his hand and show him how to play basketball made him a little more confident. As his talent started to grow, even amongst the stronger players on the street ball courts, Tatsuya seemed to draw back a little. 

He was sitting with his dad, Aki, both of them silent as Taiga pushed the ordered-in food around his plate. 

“What’s wrong, son?” Aki asked. “You usually scarf down your food like you’re starving.” 

“I dunno, I just...” Taiga sighed. “I don’t really want to talk about it.” 

“Okay, that’s fine. Just know that I’m here for you when you need it.” 

Aki was a good man, if not one who worked maybe too much. Taiga really only saw him during the evenings and sometimes on the weekends. They didn’t spend too much time together, but Taiga knew that he loved him. 

Taiga didn’t look too much like him, apparently he looked much more like his mom. He hadn’t really known her since she’d passed away when he was very young. Aki said that she’d been in an accident and he didn’t like to talk about it very much. That was okay, his dad was really all he needed. Sure, they moved around a lot, but Taiga was happy he’d been able to meet Tatsuya while they were living in LA. 

They sat in silence while Taiga picked at his food and then he sighed. “Actually, I... something’s going on between me and Tatsuya...” 

“Oh?” Aki blinked. “That’s the friend who got you into basketball, right?” 

Taiga nodded. “Yeah, and... I guess it’s kinda stupid, but it feels like he’s avoiding me for some reason...” 

“Hmm... why do you think that?” 

“Well, whenever I see him on the courts, he wants to be on the other team and we’ve been competing instead of working together and I just... I want to play with him instead of against him...” Taiga pouted, fiddling with the ring on the chain around his neck. 

Aki hummed thoughtfully, eyeing his son. He knew that he wasn’t the best dad and that he couldn’t exactly relate to his son’s enthusiasm for the sport, considering that he wasn’t very into basketball himself. But he wanted to connect with Taiga in some way. 

“Hey, how about we go to the beach this weekend?” he asked, knowing that he at least had the love of the beach in common with Taiga. 

The boy’s fiery eyes sparkled. “Really, Dad?!” 

“Of course! I’ll clear my schedule and you can invite Tatsuya as well, if you want.” 

Taiga nodded, practically vibrating. “Thanks so much, Dad! We haven’t been to the beach in _forever!”_

“I know, bud, and we definitely need to go, but first you need to finish your dinner, okay?” 

“Okay!” Taiga immediately wolfed down his dinner, making the older man smile lightly. At least his appetite didn’t suffer when he was going through a little bit of angst. 

… 

Tatsuya had readily accepted the invitation to the beach, saying that he hadn’t really gone very much, even though it was very close. Aki Kagami was very happy that his son had found a good friend in Tatsuya, and he wanted to meet the Himuros eventually, but he wasn’t sure if they’d all be able to make time for dinner or something. 

The two boys chattered excitedly on the way to the beach, and Aki smiled to himself. He knew that his wife would’ve loved this, and perhaps if she’d lived long enough, they would’ve had another child. 

He shook his head clear of those depressing thoughts and focused on the boys, glancing at them in the rearview mirror. 

“So, Tatsuya, how long have you been living here in LA?” he asked. 

“A while! I live with my aunts!” 

“Oh, really?” Aki was a bit surprised, though he supposed he shouldn’t have been. Maybe his parents had thought that it’d be good to immerse him in America to learn English. “Do you like living with them?” 

“Yeah! They’re really nice and Pride’s really fun when we go in June! Taiga, you should come with us sometime!” 

“What’s that?!” Taiga seemed intrigued, and Aki smiled. 

He knew there was a chance that his son liked boys, with the way he talked about Tatsuya, and he was completely okay with that. He wasn’t sure if Taiga really knew himself, but if they went to Pride, he was pretty sure that something might make the lightbulb go on in his head. 

He did think that Taiga was still a little bit young to be thinking about dating, though, so he’d make sure that ground rules were set before they got to that point. 

He had to chuckle when he heard Tatsuya’s explanation of Pride, “It’s when a lot of people get together and they have a big party!” He supposed it was right, in a way, but he wasn’t sure that Tatsuya _quite_ knew what it was celebrating. Though, maybe since he said “aunts” and the fact that they went to Pride on a regular basis apparently, maybe he did know. 

“That sounds like fun! Dad, can we go?!” Taiga asked, leaning forward excitedly with the biggest grin on his face. 

“Sure, bud,” Aki nodded. “I’m sure it’ll be a great experience for you. But we’ll go together, okay?” 

“Okay!” Taiga grinned. 

“Look out the window, boys, there’s the beach,” he gestured toward the right, where the sea was sprawling endlessly. 

“Yay!!!” Taiga cheered. 

“Now, you two know the rules, right? Stay with each other and don’t go too far so that I can’t see you.” 

“Yes, sir,” they responded, though both were looking at the waves with glittering eyes. 

He sighed slightly, hoping that they wouldn’t get into any trouble while they were on the beach. He knew that Taiga would probably want to go surfing, since that was pretty much _all_ he wanted to do any time they went to the beach. He was pretty good at it, too; he’d picked it up pretty quickly. Aki, however, had eaten seawater more times than he cared to count, so he settled for watching his son surf and have the time of his life. 

But with Tatsuya, maybe they’d just go swimming together, maybe build sand castles. Aki was going to lay on the beach, under an umbrella, on a towel, and just enjoy the ambiance. He liked people watching and reading on the beach and watching the waves was very relaxing to him. 

As soon as he parked the car, the two boys made a mad dash to unbuckle their seatbelts. Thankfully Aki had had the presence of mind to put on the child locks so they couldn’t bolt out of the car. 

“Wait, remember the rules,” he turned to face them, his face stern. “What are they?” 

“Always stay together, don’t go too far, and don’t talk to strangers,” Taiga rolled his eyes. 

“And?” 

“Make sure that we can always see you,” Tatsuya finished. 

“Good, now I hope you boys have the best day of your lives out there. Now grab your towels and let’s hit the beach!” 

“Yeah!” they both exclaimed, bolting out of the car as soon as Aki opened the door for them. 

They all circled around to the trunk and Aki grabbed the cooler that had snacks and drinks in it, letting the boys get their towels. He also got the large bottle of sunblock; he was not going to let his son or another kid roast in the sun. 

They found a spot on the crowded beach to set up and Aki was glad that he’d bought such a large beach umbrella when he’d first moved here. He hadn’t used it as much as he’d like, but when he did, it was always nice to have such a big shady area. 

After he stuck the umbrella in the sand, he turned to the boys. “Alright, kiddos, time for sunblock.” 

“But it smells funny,” Taiga scrunched his nose in distaste. 

“I know, bud, but I'm not letting you run around without sunblock, you know that. I doubt your aunts would want you to, either, Tatsuya, so you get some too.” 

“Okay!” Tatsuya shrugged. 

The boys took off their shirts, leaving them in their swim trunks, and Aki slathered both of their backs with sunblock. “I think you can get your own arms and legs and make _sure_ you get your faces, too. And your necks, and especially the back of your necks.” He knew Taiga had a tendency to skimp on the sunblock when he got excited, so he watched him carefully. 

When he was sure that both the boys were sufficiently covered, he waved them off. “Alright, go play now. But come back whenever you feel hungry or thirsty, okay? I’ve got plenty of snacks and water bottles for you.” 

“Okay, Dad, we’ll see you later! C’mon, Tatsuya!” Taiga grabbed Tatsuya’s hand and dragged him out to the water, leaving Aki to his own devices. 

… 

Tatsuya was so excited to come to the beach with Taiga, of course, but also a little nervous. He didn’t come to the beach that often and if he was being honest, the ocean scared him a little bit. There were so many unknown things and the water was always moving so he couldn’t really see what was beneath the surface. He didn’t like that much. 

“C’mon, Tatsuya, the water’s great!” Taiga said, already plunging into the ocean. 

Tatsuya didn’t really want to barrel in cause what if there were sea urchins or something right where he stepped?! He didn’t want to lose his foot to some poisonous sea creature! 

He felt around with his feet before he put any weight on them, making sure that he was just stepping on sand. 

“Tatsuya, you’re so _slow!_ ” Taiga yelled, already freely swimming and seeming to be having the time of his life. 

Tatsuya didn’t want to show any weakness to the boy he considered his younger brother, he couldn’t afford that. That’s partly why he’d come to the beach in the first place; he’d thought that maybe Taiga was just as afraid of the ocean as he, and maybe he’d be able to fake bravery. Obviously his plan had backfired, and Taiga was just at home in the ocean as he was on the basketball court. 

Tatsuya felt anger boil inside of him and he turned around quickly before he could look at Taiga swimming like some kind of dolphin. 

“I’m going back to where your dad is!” he yelled over his shoulder, crossing his arms over his chest and clenching his hands over his arms. 

“Wait, Tatsuya!” Taiga was suddenly by his side, grabbing onto his arm. “I’ll come with you. Are you hungry? Thirsty? Cause I’m kinda thirsty.” 

“Whatever,” Tatsuya grumbled, still maintaining his defensive stance. He really hadn’t thought this through and he hated that Taiga was acting so concerned. 

When they got back to where Aki was, he looked up from his book. 

“Back already? What’s up?” 

“Nothing,” Tatsuya said, clearly grumpy. He sat down next to Aki and grabbed a bottle of water, drinking some. “Maybe the sun’s getting to me.” 

“That’ll happen if you aren’t used to it,” Aki nodded. “You good, Taiga?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine, um... Tatsuya, do you want to go build a sandcastle?” Taiga asked somewhat shyly, like he expected Tatsuya to say no. 

Tatsuya blinked up at him and was silent for a few seconds. “Sure, I guess that could be fun.” 

“Go and have fun, boys,” Aki smiled at them. 

Taiga didn’t take Tatsuya’s hand this time, he just let Tatsuya trail behind him. 

“Here’s good,” Taiga nodded, close enough to the waves to get wet sand, but far enough away that they wouldn’t be ambushed by the waves. “So first we gotta start setting up a base,” he told Tatsuya, making a small mound of sand. “How big do you think we should make it?” 

“Huge!” Tatsuya said. “With big walls and we can make the castle in the middle!” 

“Ooh! Yeah, that’s awesome!” 

The two boys built walls almost up to their waists before they realized they had a problem. 

“How are we gonna get sand in there to build the castle?” Taiga asked, looking at their finished walls. 

“Umm... Well... I think the real question is how are _we_ gonna get in there?” Tatsuya pointed out. They couldn’t easily step over the walls, and they didn’t want to destroy their hard work. 

They looked at each other for a few moments before dissolving into giggles. They’d been so lost in their little world of working together to make the best walls possible they hadn’t thought to make something for the walls to protect. 

“I think that destroying it is just as fun as making it,” Taiga looked at Tatsuya, smirking. 

“Really, Taiga?” Tatsuya snorted. 

“C’mon, you know it’s true,” Taiga laughed. “On the count of three, I say we just kick them over.” 

Tatsuya rolled his eyes and sighed. “Fine, let’s do this.” 

They counted together, smiling, and squealed with laughter when their feet broke through the packed sand. They kicked it at each other playfully, sending the sand flying everywhere. 

In the distance, Aki chuckled as he held his phone up, taking a video of the boys. _‘They’re going to thank me for this later,’_ he thought to himself.

**Author's Note:**

> idk i was at work last night and i was just thinking about these two and how a day during their childhood might've gone. when they weren't playing basketball, of course, bc that seems to be all they did lmao. and on the wiki it says that kagami's hobby is surfing so i ran with that lol. he'd definitely love going to the beach and swimming in the ocean. himuro? not so much lol.


End file.
